Tranquil sailing trip on the Nile with a great crew - We arrived straight from the chaos of the train station onto a river of tranquility. We were expecting a group tour but were pleasantly surprised it was just us for our one night feluka trip. We stopped for lunch on a grassy bank with local children swimming nearby. Captain Ahmed cooked flat bread and baba ganoush for lunch along with felafels, salads and fruit. Ahmed and Wally were happy for my husband to assist with the sailing and we set off out of Aswan. Once the river opened up Tim was allowed on the helm and improved his skills with each tack. The next challenge was to cant the sail to get under a bridge. I lounged on the cushioned deck for the afternoon. Stopping for the night on the bank we had a fabulous dinner after sunset of soup, bbq chicken, vegetable stew and rice. Next morning after breakfast we met our driver to Aswan via the animal market in Daraw and guided temple visits. Thanks to Ahmed, (& Mrs Ahmed for the home cooking) Wally and Tamer(driver) for making this such a memorable trip.

Best way to cruise the Nile - We did a 3 nights Felucca trip from Aswan up to near Edfu with JJ Jamaica and it was the highlight of our trip to Egypt. Nori met us on the departure day and sailed with us a few miles up the river just to check everything was okay. The boat was very spacious for only 2 people, and really clean. The crew captain Shaggy and Ussi (sorry not sure on the spellings) were both brilliant, and the food they prepared for every meal was fantastic, although always way, way too much. Their sailing skills were first class, particularly when we sailed through a narrow gap in a partially constructed bridge in one smooth tack. The highlight through was just relaxing and watching the Nile flow by with only the sounds of the wind in the sail. We moored up each night in good spots for our evening meal and a swim, sleeping was very comfortable with the boat all wrapped up and the pop up mosquito nets they provided. We also had plenty of stops at interesting sites such as Daraw for the camel market, Kom Ombo temple, a local village and Gebel el-Silsila. We had considered booking a cabin on a standard cruise boat, and although felucca's are quite basic so glad we went for the traditional felucca option, would love to do it again some day. Thanks again JJ Jamaica

Pure relaxation! - I did the trip in two nights, leaving Aswan in the early afternoon and visiting Daraw and Kom Ombo the following day. Then they organized a car transport for me to reach the Edfu temple on the morning of the third day and from there I continued to Luxor. The journey passes slowly and you are immersed in the silence of the Nile valley. I was traveling alone, but I was never bored and, in fact, I appreciated a bit of peace after the hectic days in the temples and in Cairo. The crew was super: Tarek accompanied and supported me everywhere, steering the ship expertly, and Sulayman helped us, preparing excellent meals and monitoring the ship when we went away. Definitely a spartan experience, not suitable for squeamish people, but for me unforgettable and absolutely not to be missed!!

On the Nile in a felucca: nothing better! - I like traveling alone and spending 2 nights with Tariq and Soulaiman aboard a felucca was a great experience. Sailing peacefully, contemplating the birds and the superb Egyptian landscapes was a pleasure. The meals were delicious and adapted to a vegetarian diet as requested, with fresh produce and real attention to my preferences. An unforgettable stay.

The best felucca on the Nile - The best way to navigate the Nile, nothing compares to the silence and magic of a felucca. If you also do it with JJ Jamaica you will learn a lot about the Nubian culture, you will see incredible places, in addition to the obligatory stops, and you will return. It is not my first time with them, they are the best, great professionals and best people. Until next time!!

Unique! - We have two unique days in Hani and Shagy's felucca! On the program: fabulous natural landscapes, gentle navigation lessons, delicious homemade cuisine and lots of sharing with this welcoming and smiling crew. An unforgettable moment that lets you discover the country!

Felucca trip on the Nile - Very good time spent with Slimane and Tarik between Aswan and Luxor. The felucca is very comfortable. Delicious prepared meals. I recommend!

Amazing - 3-day stay spent with Tarik and Suliman in a felucca with a warm welcome, exceptional meals prepared on site, a real sharing with his people. The ascent is fantastic with fabulous landscapes, sunrises and sunsets on the roof of the boat, Nubian songs, to be done without fail! THANKS

Is Tariq the best river captain on the Nile ? - We are just back from a month long visit to Egypt which included a trip on a felluca with. JJ Jamaica. Sailing on a felluca is very Zen experience and for us travelling from hectic New York the contrast felt was amazing. Before we boarded, Nori at JJ Jamaica told Tariq was going to be our captain and we had the best captain on the Nile..at the time i thought this was hyperbole..sure he probably tells everyone the same story. In fact Tariq is indeed a very skilled sailor and read the river and the winds very efficiently as he tacked from one river bank to the other. A felluca is not an easy boat to sail and tacking against the wind requires constant maneuvering of the single cumbersome sail. Its wonderful to watch but it requires a lot of skill and strength. Tarik grew up on Elephantine Island and has spent his life navigating the nile. There are many enormous cruise ships on the river and sailing a felluca requires navigating around these boats. Tariq's skill enabled him to maximize his progress while moving around the large ships. He was not intimidated:) I dont know if he is the best captain on the Nile but in my opinion he is very skilled and it was our privilege to be his passengers for three memorable days. Sean.

egypt viewed from a felucca is beautiful ! - We asked 2 companies for quotes for a felucca cruise: aswan individual and jj jamaica. while jj jamaica was slightly more expensive we chose it because we felt it would be more comfortable, because the boat had a toilet on board, and because we read the food was good ! We are so glad ! Having a toilet on board is really nice, think about it, you are on a boat all day long and all night long, without the toilet you are dependent on stops for the night, for a tour, or a lunch off the boat, having a toilet on board is more than nice ! and indeed, our captain tariq and his teammate suleiman prepared 3 amazing meals a day for us, all different over the 3 days, delicious, nutritive, amazing ! Cruising on a felucca has pluses and minuses: the plusses are that you are ecological, your are at the same level as the landscape you are contemplating (they are so beautiful!), and watching a captain sail a felucca is fascinating (the sail is 24 meter high, for a boat 11 meter long).; the downside are that it is a bit like camping, you need to be ok with sleeping outside, and not washing in a shower ! The mattress and blankets provided were super comfortable by the way, it was definitely nice camping, but not glamping ! You can decide where to stop. In our case, we stopped for the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, but you can also stop at a camel market, or at gebel al silsila. The wind blows north to south so the captain must zig zag down the nile, against the wind, if you are going from aswan to luxor. If you are going north to south, you might go faster, provided there is wind, which is the case most of the time :-) In our case, we did not make it to edfu within the 3 days, but that eventuality had been discussed before (one is dependent on the wind on a felucca) and the fourth day, a car picked us up to drive us to edfu temple, where a guide arranged by jj jamaica was waiting for us, and then , after the visit of the temple, the same driver took us to the edfu train station, helped us get train tickets (which actually did not work, we got tickets on the train later, which is fine) and waited until the train came before leaving. we were really very well taken care off. That's the last thing i want to add. The company is super professional, from the talented and smart captain and his teammate, to the care given to the boat, which is super clean and attractive, to the interactions as we were designing the trip